Blue gold

Jebel Ali, the desalination plant in Dubai

According to the World Bank, an estimated 2.4 billion people do have access to potable water. Where water is available, however, consumption is expected to grow by 30% during the next 25 years. That is why the search for so-called blue gold is becoming a priority as investment plans are being drafted. In cities like Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, the plentiful amounts of sea water at its disposal is treated to make it potable.

Jebel Ali M, the desalination plant and energy producer whose construction was partly done by Webuild subsidiary Fisia Italimpianti, is the largest of its kind in the region and one of the biggest in the world. According to the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), It has a production capacity of 2,2 billion liters of clean water per day.